Apparatus for determining distance coordinates

• US 4,922,444 A
• Filed: 12/14/1987
• Issued: 05/01/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Baba, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dixon, Joseph L.
• Application Number:
  US07/132,012
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 364/565, 364/566, 364/449, 364/709.11, 324/174, 324/207, 324/208, 178/18-20, 340/709, 340/710, 73/493, 73/505, 73/510, 73/517 B
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/004 for measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/132 with electromagnetic counterbalancing means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 7/00 Measuring speed by integrating acceleration measuring travelled distance by double integration of acceleration G01C21/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

The apparatus for determining coordinates is used as a pointing device or a mouse device in a personal computer system. The present apparatus comprises plural speed sensors and an operating means such as a CPU. When the speed sensors are moved by an operator, each of the speed sensors detects each of accelerations thereof in predetermined axis directions. The detected accelerations of the speed sensors are converted into moving distances representative of the coordinates through a calculation of the operating means. By only holding and moving the present apparatus by an operator, it is possible to input the coordinates with ease and with accuracy because there is no need to provide a heavy metal ball of the conventional mechanical mouse device and a transparent board of the conventional optical mouse device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining distance coordinates along at least two orthogonal axes comprising:

(a) at least two acceleration detecting means for detecting accelerations along said at least two orthogonal axes, wherein each of said acceleration detecting means detects accelerations along one of said two orthogonal axes and comprises;

(i) a hollow case;

(ii) one pair of electromagnets which are respectively attached to mutually opposed inner planes of said hollow case, each of said electromagnets comprising a core wound by a coil, the coil of one electromagnet being wound reverse to that of the other electromagnet, and said coils being connected in series;

(iii) a permanent magnet movable between said electromagnets;

(iv) means for outputting an output voltage which is varied in response to movements of said permanent magnet, said permanent magnet moving nearer to one of said electromagnets and further apart from the other of said electromagnets when the acceleration detecting means is moved in acceleration;

(v) means for producing an output current having a direction and an amplitude corresponding respectively to the direction and magnitude of the acceleration of the acceleration detecting means, said output current flowing through said coils in series so as to magnetize said electromagnets in response to accelerations of the acceleration detecting means, said permanent magnet being located at a balanced position under a magnetic field produced between said electromagnets, said output current comprising the output acceleration signal of the acceleration detecting means; and

(b) operating means for calculating the distance coordinates along said at least two orthogonal axes based on the output acceleration signal of each of said acceleration detecting means.

2. An apparatus for determining distance coordinates for a computer system, said coordinates representing a position of a cursor on a screen of a display unit of said computer system, said apparatus comprising:

(a) at least two acceleration detecting means for detecting accelerations thereof along at least two orthogonal axes of a rectangular reference coordinate system, each of said acceleration detecting means producing an output acceleration signal representative of detected accelerations along one of said at least two orthogonal axes, wherein each of said acceleration detecting means comprises;

(i) a hollow case;

(ii) one pair of electromagnets which are respectively attached to mutually opposed inner planes of said hollow case, each of said electromagnets comprising a core wound by a coil, the coil of one electromagnet being wound reverse to that of the other electromgnet, and said coils being connected in series;

(iii) a permanent magnet movable between said electromagnets;

(iv) means for outputting an output voltage which is varied in response to movements of said permanent magnet, said permanent magnet moving nearer to one of said electromagnets and further apart from the other of said electromagnets when the acceleration detecting means is moved in acceleration; and

(v) means for producing an output current having a direction and an amplitude corresponding respectively to the direction and magnitude of the acceleration of the acceleration detecting means, said output current flowing through said coils in series so as to magnetize said electromagnets in response to accelerations of the acceleration detecting means, said permanent magnet being located at a balanced position under a magnetic field produced between said electromagnets, said output current comprising the output acceleration signal of the acceleration detecting means;

(b) analog-to-digital converter means for respectively converting said at least two output acceleration signals to at least two sets of digital acceleration data; and

(c) operating means for calculating the distance coordinates along said at least two orthogonal axes based on said at least two sets of digital acceleration data.